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Armoire cabinets can be converted into a computer desk if they are the buffet-style with a slender top and a wider bottom. Most of them are wide enough and some of the deeper ones, up to 22 inches, have plenty of leg room underneath, and the top of the bottom portion of the armoire is also about 28 inches off the floor, the same as a desk. You can do this with your own two hands and a few tools. Create a desk that you can be proud of by installing your computer into a free-standing armoire. If you can find an antique one, all the better. Mix technology with antiquity for a real conversation piece.

1

Remove the upper doors from the armoire by removing the hinges with a drill/driver. If the armoire has shelves -- unlikely -- tap them up with a hammer to loosen the nails and then pull them out. If there are small blocks on either side where the shelves rested, tap them out with the hammer. Remove any residual nails with diagonal pliers.

2

Remove any doors from the bottom section with a drill/driver. Remove any drawers. Reach into the bottom section and tap out any wooden runners with a hammer. Remove the nails with pliers. If the armoir is a newer model, it may have metal drawer slides. Use a drill/driver to remove the screws and remove the slides.

3

Look inside the bottom section. There may be a wooden stretcher running horizontally across the front of the bottom section about 3 inches up from the floor. If you see screws securing it to the armoire, use a drill/driver to remove them.

4

Cut the stretcher out carefully with a hacksaw. Saw vertically where the horizontal stretcher at the bottom is joined onto the vertical sides of the armoire. Saw down through both joints and remove the stretcher. This will open up the bottom section for your chair.

5

Install full-extension guides on both sides of the bottom section. Use a carpenters square to draw a line extending from front to back 4 inches below the top. This is for the sliding keyboard tray. Follow manufacture's directions to separate the four full-extension guides, and screw the appropriate ones on the left and right using 5/8-inch screws.

6

Measure the width and depth of the sliding keyboard tray using the guides, and the installation instructions for reference. Use a table saw to cut a piece of 3/4-inch oak plywood to the measurement. Sand the plywood smooth and paint the edge with black enamel paint. After the paint dries, screw the two remaining guides to the sides of the plywood with 5/8-inch screws and the drill/driver. Engage the four glides together and slide the tray into the armoire.

7

Install a 2-inch hole saw into the drill/driver. Use it to drill a hole through the top section of the armoire, centered 2 inches above the bottom section in the back for wiring to pass through. Drill another hole in the bottom section, centered through the back for the keyboard wiring to pass through.

8

Stretch a tape measure from top to bottom inside the top section of the armoire. Mark off each inch vertically on both sides, 2 inches from the back, and 2 inches from the front. Drill 3/8-inch holes 1/2-inch deep at each mark, being extremely careful not to drill all the way through the sides. These are for the shelf supports. You should have two rows of holes on each side.

9

Measure the width and depth of the top section. Subtract 1/4 inch from both measurements and cut the number of shelves you want from 3/4-inch plywood with a table saw. Sand the shelves smooth and paint the edges of the shelves with black enamel paint. Allow the paint to dry.

10

Install one set of 3/8-inch shelf pegs in opposing holes for each shelf. Place the shelves on the pegs.

Things You Will Need

Drill/driver

Hammer

Diagonal pliers

Hacksaw

Full extension guides

Carpenters square

5/8-inch screws

Oak plywood, 3/4-by-48-by-96 inches

Table saw

100-grit sandpaper

Enamel paint

Paintbrush

2-inch hole saw

3/8-inch shelf pegs

Tip

Depending on the design of your particular armoire, it may be possible to leave the doors in place on top if you choose. The measurements are for an averaged armoire. Yours may differ.

Warning

Wear safety glasses.

About the Author

Specializing in hardwood furniture, trim carpentry, cabinets, home improvement and architectural millwork, Wade Shaddy has worked in homebuilding since 1972. Shaddy has also worked as a newspaper reporter and writer, and as a contributing writer for Bicycling Magazine. Shaddy began publishing in various magazines in 1992, and published a novel, “Dark Canyon,” in 2008.